“In drought-hit Kansas, desperation is the only thing growing”

July 15th, 2011 at 9:37 pm by under Uncategorized, Weather

Mary Coen apologizes for her dusty house.

She tells a visitor not to look at the windowsill in her farmhouse living room where a layer of dust has settled from the last burst of wind.

“The Good Lord hasn’t let it rain,” she says.

This summer, it doesn’t take much for the wind to kick up sand in western Kansas.

A 10 to 15 mph wind will cause the horizon to dim; at 30 to 40 mph, it darkens the sky and visibility is less than a 100 feet.

Much of Morton County is in an exceptional drought, the driest rating, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Already it is drier than the driest years of the Dust Bowl.

Since last September — 10 months ago — Morton County near Elkhart has received 2.99 inches of moisture. The normal average rainfall for that corner of Kansas is about 19 inches.

Permalink No Comments

Leave a Reply